Days After
by Haelwyn
Summary: A month after the conclusion of Days and Ways. Unexpected events drive Lynn from the Castle, and urge her to reconsider a life as a healer settled in Dellour. With Landen's wedding a week away, she faces her conflicts on a new battlefield: within herself
1. Chapter 1

**In Which the Castle Goings-On Go On**

"Will this be all for the invitation, your highness?" the royal scribe asked, as he lifted his quill on the last stroke. He handed the parchment for the Princess to reread.

_The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by the Queen to invite _ to the Marriage of Sir Landen Winthrop of Kippernia with Her Royal Highness Gledae at Kippernian Castle_-

The invitation went on to state the date and time, as well as dress code; the Princess hardly glanced at it before handing it back. It was less than a week's time, she had even more matters to attend to; such as the final touches on her dress, the finalization of suppliers of produce for the banquet, and arrangements to hire more hands to tend the gardens.

"Send it out at once," she said, in her usual stern voice. The scribe and chamberlain both nodded and left at once.

_Tsk, what a life I lead,_ she thought to herself, brushing back a strand of her perfectly made hair and shifting in her seat where she was seated across the scribe. Summoning her ladies-in-waiting, she ordered them to call in her next appointment, the tailor, for her final dress-fitting. _There is probably no other girl in the kingdom as busy or productive as I_.

Half a kingdom away, in a classroom in the Dellour Academy for Healers, Lynn Eldridge sneezed.

-.-.-

"It just isn't the same," Kipp the sarcastic jester said, lazily poking at his owl of porridge. "She's been away for forever."

"It's only been a month, Kipp," Colton, the usually wordless blacksmith said, eating. "Stop whining."

"I'm not whining, I'm stating a fact," he replied. "Things are supposed to be exciting, with a wedding on the way. But- it's just not the same without Lynn."

"I can't believe how quiet it's been. Both squires gone," he continued, as Ambrosia, the chef, came to the table to check on them. "One lady lost to a far-off land, and our Landen, lost to a lady."

"Not just any lady," Ambrosia said, leaning on the table. "He's to marry the princess! I haven't had so many helpers in the kitchen since- since- why I can't even remember."

"Looks like the King and Queen are really putting their all into this," Colton said.

"More like the princess is squeezing everything out of them," Kipp said, scoffing. "She's practically taken over the whole affair. I bet she's even overruling Landen. Can you imagine it?"

"That's just ridiculous, Kipp," Colton said.

"You wanna bet?"

"Maybe she's just a lady of action," Colton said quietly.

"She's a lady of a lot of talking," Kipp argued. "Now Lynn was a lady of real action."

"Kipp, what's bothering you? You sound awfully bitter," Ambrosia noted.

"Don't you get it? I meant Lynn was a thousand times better than any princess, in any kingdom, in any dynasty," he said, his arms gesturing.

"Hold your tongue, jester," a loud voice suddenly called.

"Landen, we haven't seen you in ages!" Ambrosia squeaked. "Been busy, I suppose."

"Yeah, no time for your _old friends_," Kipp said in a mocking voice. "Me, Colton, Ambrosia, _Lynn-_"

"That's enough! I have no time for your usual antics," he said, pounding the table with his fist. "There's- a lot to think about."

"What? Can't make up your mind on what color to wear?" Kipp said, rolling his eyes. "You should just let the princess do all the choosing."

"That's just it! She's taken over the whole thing; I can't even get a word in sideways," he said, suddenly sitting down on the bench, hands in the air in exasperation. "It's like my opinion isn't even needed, and I'm the groom!"

"Having second thoughts?"

"Hardly that-," he retorted quickly. "I just- thought I'd have more time than this; more time to think it over, and, well, you know, choose."

"Well, if you ask my opinion, I think traditional white would set off your complexion better and-," Kipp said, trying to be helpful.

"That's not the kind of choice I meant," Landen said, burying his face in his hands.

They were silent for a moment.

"I need to take a walk," he said, standing up with a loud grunt.

"Ah, and he escapes again."

"It's nothing like that," he shouted, as he exited the castle grounds.

-.-.-

Landen's feet led him to a clearing in the forest almost automatically. It was his place to think, and escape from the troubles of castle life. He'd found himself visiting this place more frequently nowadays. Considering that he was about to married in a week's time, it probably didn't bode well.

"So this is where you've been escaping to," Kipp said, pushing through the branches that hid the place from the path.

"Great, now I'll need a new spot," Landen said, sitting down on a tree stump, a mild indentation showing how oft-used it had been.

"No, don't worry, the princess won't hear about this. Though I think I might crash here myself once in a while," Kipp said, standing next to him.

Landen merely snorted, resting his chin on an arm. "I just can't believe how fast time has passed."

"Yeah, I miss Lynn, too," Kipp suddenly said.

"That's not what I said," Landen started, nearly standing up.

"But that's what you thought," Kipp said, poking his forehead. "Don't forget, I can read you like a book. Same as ever. And same as ever, you're still thinking of Lynn."

"Ugh," Landen scoffed, pushing Kipp's hand away. "Okay, fine, I miss her. I wish she were here, to talk to. I can't believe she left."

"Can't believe she left? Can't believe she left?" Kipp said, his voice rising. "Do you know _why_ she left? Do you even know _when_ she left?"

"I-," Landen started, but was pushed back by Kipp.

"She left after a certain fellow squire _informed_ her of his betrothal to the princess, and casually _announced_ their eventual wedding within the month!"

"What? But everyone already knew about it way before that, someone should have told her by then-,"

"_Everyone_ thought it tactful to _not_ to mention it to Lynn," Kipp said, increasingly agitated. "and leave it to the groom to tell her himself."

"Why on earth did it fall to me to personally inform Lynn of something as public as a royal wedding?"

"Because, Landen-," Kipp said, practically shouting. "Lynn-,"

"'Because, Landen, Lynn _what_?'" Landen retorted.

"Forget it. Just forget it," Kipp said, turning away. "I guess someone as important as yourself now shouldn't be concerned with past acquaintances. I hope you haven't forgotten who really matters to you. Goodbye, Landen."

And with that, he left the clearing.

-.-.-

(Hullo, the sequel to my Days and Ways Fanfic here. I guess I haven't really exposed the characters much here, review if you need more exposition, otherwise you'd have to read the original fic to learn about them. And that's 30 chapters long. So your choice. Read and review please )


	2. Chapter 2

**In Which Lynn Receives News**

"Thanks again, Lynn," Kurt said over his shoulder as Lynn set down a large box of papers on his desk. "Although you could have asked one of the students to do it for you, you know. You're a star here, not just a lowly squire anymore."

"There is dignity in service," Lynn said, shrugging her shoulders. "And besides, your students seem rather out of shape compared to me."

"Ah well, the life of a healer isn't quite as physical as mental," Kurt said, reaching into the box and drawing out one of the papers, scanning it briefly. "We've sure gotten a lot of applications in the past month, haven't we?"

"Well, we are the premier learning center for healers all over the kingdom," Lynn said, with an air of pride. "Thanks to the most efficient headmaster in all of the Academy's history."

"A short three-year history," Kurt added. "After its being inspired by one of the greatest healers of all time. Your father would have been proud, Lynn."

Lynn sighed. It had been three years since her father, Versant Eldridge, the 'Greatest Healer' had passed away, leaving her all his research and knowledge. "Yeah, proud of his failed squire-of-a-daughter."

Kurt walked over to her, still shorter than her by a few inches and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, the important thing is that you came back. To Dellour. Besides, being a knight kind of suited you- in a way."

Lynn laughed and playfully punched Kurt on the shoulder. "Now don't go starting that whole tomboy thing again."

"Not saying anything," Kurt said, raising his hands in defense. He turned and went back to his work. "Just that I wouldn't have thought you were a girl when I first saw you back then."

"People can change, too, you know," Lynn said, waving at him as she left his office. "I just might surprise you."

"We'll see about that," Kurt said, smiling, waving her out of the room.

-.-.-

As Lynn left, she gave a deep sigh. The headmaster's office was still in the same place, but she remembered the time when it had been run by another. Chills ran down her spine as she recalled the traitorous Elysium Hawthorne, the founder of the Academy. He had presented himself as a healer and leader, but underneath his pleasantness, he was an Imperial spy, and the first user of biological weapons in war. To think that such knowledge could be used for evil, she thought to herself as she made her way down the stairs to the foyer of the elegant building.

On her way, she was greeted by several of the students. She cordially bowed back to them, some of them she recognized as her students in her practical class. Though she and Kurt were hardly a year older than most of the students, their natural giftedness and hard-earned knowledge made them more than capable of rising through the ranks in the month that they were appointed by the Council of Dellour to teach at the Academy.

Lynn was an instructor for a practical class on treating common illnesses, and handled two dozen or so students. Kurt, on the other hand, thanks to his experience with Hawthorne, was found capable of filling in as headmaster until another of equal or greater competence was found. It would take a while to find such, Lynn thought.

She stopped in front of the large painting that hung in the lobby."Father, is this what you wanted?" she mumbled up to it, sighing deeply.

The gong sounded the end of the day. She could hear the students in their classrooms mumbling loudly and preparing to leave.

"Ah well, looks like it's time to go home," she thought to herself as she walked out the doors into the afternoon light.

-.-.-

Early the next morning, a messenger knocked on Lynn's door. She rushed to answer it, just barely woken up, still in her nightclothes and slippers. The man was dressed as one of the King's messengers and quickly handed her a sealed letter. He rushed off before she had a chance to thank him, mounting his horse to dash off to his next destination.

"I'll look at it later. He didn't say it was urgent," she said to herself as she disappeared back into the only untouched section of her childhood home. She tossed the letter into the knapsack that she would be bringing to class that day.

She was slightly surprised that the messenger had been able to find the entrance; it was at the end of a narrow alley between what was now the town library and the laboratory. Her house had been drastically 'improved' as such thanks to the 'development proposed by Elysium Hawthorne. While she resented the man who began the project, she had to admit that it was doing a lot of good for the town.

-.-.-

She greeted her class as she entered the classroom. On the board were remnants of their lesson yesterday, about treating different kinds of cough with a certain plant that had long been used among traditional healers.

She announced that they would be continuing the topic, and would then have a quiz about it afterwards, "so you'd better pay attention," she threatened as she picked up a cloth and wiped the board clean to start anew.

A student raised her hand as she brought out her notebook from her bag to begin the lesson. Lynn called her, saying "Is there something you want to clarify regarding the lesson?"

"Will we be having our class as usual next week?" the student asked, leaning forward on her desk.

"Well, unless something important comes up, yes, we will have class as usual. Why do you ask?" she answered, turning to her students.

"So you're not going to the Kippernian ball with the headmaster and the others?" the student continued. "I heard the entire faculty had been invited to attend."

"The Kippernian Ball," Lynn repeated to herself. "Now where did you hear that?" she said, rummaging through her knapsack for the letter she had tossed in earlier.

"From another teacher this morning, and she said that most of the faculty were going, so we were just wondering if maybe all classes would be cancelled then."

"I suppose we will be talking about this in a staff meeting, so I can't say anything until we've all agreed. However, considering that it is a royal event, we will be likely to-," she stopped in the middle of her sentence as she skimmed the letter she was now holding, an invitation from the royal family. "Attend a summons by our king for the ball-"

The class cheered for that: no classes!

"-And," Lynn continued. "Royal engagement of Princess Gledae Arland to," she read, painful memories flashing in her mind "-Landen Winthrop."

-.-.-

"it's settled then, we will attend the Kippernium Ball under the king's invitation. Fellow teachers, we shall assemble for he journey in three days' time, here at this building. I will arrange for our transportation," Kurt said, standing up at the head of the long wooden table where the entire faculty was gathered.

"Maybe Lynn can get us good seats at the banquet," another teacher suggested. "She is a guest of honor, after all."

"Yes," another one agreed. "Do introduce us to the royal family, if you will. Maybe we can raise more funds for our projects."

Lynn stood up silently and smiled sadly at them. "I'll see what I can do," she said, forcing a laugh.

-.-.-

"Lynn, wait," Kurt called as Lynn was about to leave the Academy. "I need to talk to you."

"What's this about? Because frankly, I'm not in the mood to talk," Lynn said, not facing him.

"Did you know that Landen was to be- betrothed to the princess?" he asked tentatively.

"Of course I do. The whole kingdom does," Lynn said, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "You have an invitation, too, don't you?"

"Yes, but you look like you're not even surprised. Did you know of this beforehand?"

"Yes-," Lynn answered, her head down.

"Since when, Lynn?" Kurt asked, compassion in his eyes.

"Since he told me. The night before I left the castle."

"Did you come here because of that?"

"It's none of your business what I do!" Lynn suddenly shouted.

"It may not be but I sure as hell want to know!" Kurt shouted back in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Why should you care? It doesn't matter," Lynn said, the lump rising again in her throat, as she sprinted out the door of the Academy, to get away from him.

"Lynn-," Kurt mumbled, clenching his fists. "You matter more than you know."


	3. Chapter 3

**In Which the News is Received by Others**

In a small hamlet halfway to the Northern border where the white background never seemed to change and neither did the people, a little inn quietly buzzed with news.

"D'ya hear the news from that messenger on his way up to the Northern border?" a thin old man said to his companion, seated as they were at their regular seats at the bar of the small inn. "The princess's t' be wed next week."

"Ya think they'd say sommit like that earlier," his stout friend replied, patting his leg. "Who's the bloke?"

"A knight named Landen Winthrop, I remember," he said, his brow furrowing. "Say, could prob'ly be related to Captain Winthrop, don't'ya think?"

"Prob'ly so."

A couple of grunts from both of them and the conversation lulled a while.

"Remember that other castle lad who said 'e was 'eading up to the Northern Border?"

"Yes so, the tall young lad. What 'bout 'im?"

"Couldn't that 'ave been 'im? Now that I think about it, he did resemble the old Captain."

"Oh, 'e was probably on 'is way up to visit 'is old man. Not too many lads as daring as to go all the way ter the Northern border just to visit their old man."

"Got ter admire that in folk-," the other said, and their conversation trailed off again.

-.-.-

"Captain," the messenger called from where he stood in the doorway to Captain Aldrich Winthrop's stately office, which he seemed to spend more time in nowadays than his actual living quarters. "A message from the royal family."

He turned from his usual spot, standing in front of the mantelpiece, staring blankly into the depths of the hot fire; a blessing and a physiologic necessity in the harsh environment of the kingdom's Northern Mountain Range that served as a border between the Kingdom of Kippernia and the Empire. In this time of peace, he could afford the luxury of wasting time in front of a fire. It had hardly been a month since the Empire's latest attack, which had failed miserably as the soldiers had been defeated by their own biological warfare, an incapacitating and possibly lethal poison developed by a once-renowned traitorous royal healer.

He pushed aside the memories that flooded his mind and turned to his messenger, holding out his hand to receive the letter, a roll of parchment with the royal seal on it. The messenger bowed and stood silently, waiting for a reply, if any.

Captain Winthrop sighed as he broke the seal while sitting down at his desk. His eyes quickly moved over the words as he turned in his seat to get better lighting from the flames.

"Well would you look at that. And the boy never said a word about this. I didn't even know that girl with him was a princess.," he said, chuckling. "That's funny, though," he said, squinting his eyes and re-reading the message. "Come here," he called to the messenger, who hastened to his side.

"Wasn't the young woman's name 'Lynn'?" he asked the messenger.

"Yes, sir, I do remember him calling her Lynn. I believe her last name was Eld-, Elder- something," he said, nodding.

"What do you make of this, then?" he said, pointing out the names on the parchment.

"Well, sir, that would be the princess," he said, still nodding. "Landen being wed to Princess Gledae is what I suspect that means."

The Captain thanked him and sat there for a few more moments in deep thought. The messenger stood there, unsure of whether to return to his post or wait for the Captain to snap out of his reverie.

"Deliver this message to Sir Galadore of Kippernium Castle," he suddenly said, making the messenger jump. He took out his own piece of parchment and readied a quill and ink. "I intend to take up temporary residence at the castle until the ball next week, and could they expect my part in 2 days time."

"Very well, sir," the messenger said, nodding yet again. "Very well."

-.-.-

"What's this about then?" Chester said, chatting with the messenger who had just arrived from the castle. "The wedding is to really take place then?"

"Yes it is," the messenger, hardly a grown boy said, enthusiastically. "Everything's going smoothly back at the castle; the food, the decoration-."

"And the groom? How is Landen?"

"I'm not sure, sir," he said, thinking deeply. "Although sometimes they send us messengers out several times a week looking for him. He seems to be away from the castle often, especially when there's decisions to be made about the wedding ceremony."

"Hm, I see, I see," Chester said, slowly bringing out his notebook and a marking stick. "And how would you call or describe this kind of behavior of Landen's?"

"Not to be presumptuous or anything, sir," the boy said, shrugging. "But it seems to me that he hasn't made up his mind about anything, really."

"Okay, I see," he said, scribbling something down. "Thanks for the news, I'll see to it that you get to see the Duke immediately."

-.-.-

The Duke of Southern Kippernium shook his head and chuckled softly. "Frederick, my brother, you certainly have a feisty little princess for a daughter," he said to no one in particular as he read the message in his study. He glanced over at his own daughter, Yvonne, calmly reading a book by the fire, dwarfed in an enormous armchair.

She looked up and smiled at him before returning to her book.

"Yvonne dearest, has anyone told you that your cousin Gledae was to be married soon?" he asked her, sitting in a chair next to her.

"Of course I do, Papa. Chester said she would be marrying one of the knights that was here with her," Yvonne said, sighing.

"Yes, sweetie," he said, nodding. "The wedding's going to take place next week, at Kippernium Castle! You'll get to wear that dress we had made for it, and we'll have your hair made up with flowers and bows."

"But the dress wasn't very comfortable and I don't like the color," she said, puffing her cheek. "I'd rather wear one of my old dresses. And I don't like it when people fix my hair, I've told you that a thousand times. Why does Gledae get to choose what kind of dress I wear?"

"Because it's her wedding, silly daughter," the Duke said playfully, patting his daughter's head. "And besides, it won't be for very long. Just for the ceremony, and then you can change for the banquet."

"I hope I get to see Squire Lynn again," she said, wistfully. "She knows I hate those dresses, and she knows I hate having people pull at my hair. I bet if it was her wedding I wouldn't have to go through all that."

"Dear, do you hear what you're saying? You should be happy for your cousin; and besides that, she's the princess. That means she pretty much gets her way with everything."

"Okay, father, whatever you say," Yvonne said, sighing and looking down wistfully at the floor.

"That's a good girl," the Duke said, pinching her cheek. "Now go run off to bed now, I'll have to make arrangements for our journey to Kippernium Castle."

"We're going to the Castle?" Yvonne said, suddenly brightening up. "That's where all the squires live, right, Father? Does that mean I'll get to see Squire Lynn?"

"Sure you will. _After_ we visit your uncle and aunt, and cousin, of course. How's that sound?"

"Okay," she replied, kissing her father good night and running off, her nightgown fluttering behind her.

The Duke chuckled to himself, watching his daughter leave, when he noticed that in her excitement she had left her storybook behind. He knew it was her favorite one, coincidentally, about a knight who rescues a fair princess, and where they get married and live happily ever after. He flipped through the pages, remembering the times she asked that it be read to her at bedtime. Now she was old enough to read this and other books by herself, and still she kept this one around.

As he turned the pages with drawings on them, he noticed something disconcerting. She had drawn over some of the pictures; he surmised that any child would be apt to do such to their favorite storybook.

What bothered him was that she had drawn over all the images of the princess; instead of the beautiful silk dress that the princess had been originally designed with, he saw crude sketches of what appeared to be squire's armor, a sword-belt, and a shield.

Shutting the book, he sat down at his desk again and began to write out an ominous petition out to the King about a certain female squire.

-.-.-

(Woohoo! Story's finally continued. Been uber-busy with schoolwork, plus it's only once a week that I get to go online, so it might be stagnant for another long while. In the meantime, I'm also working on another story; on account of I'm jumping on the Legend of Korra bandwagon .. Y'all can see that, too, since the new term brought me an extra dose of inspiration. Believe it or not, most of what I write and most of the characters I write about are based on things that happen to me, and people I know in real life. So yeah, I'm kind of dependent on external forces to get a story going; but hey, at least it'll be consistent, right? Right.

(Read and review please . Thanks for being awesome .)


	4. Chapter 4

**In Which Discoveries are Unearthed**

Kipp entered the castle throne room with his head hung low, and each step heavy upon the carpeted floor; highly uncharacteristic of any jester. He was feeling out of sorts, and he suspected it was caused by more than the odd-smelling soup he had for lunch. And as luck would have it, the first person he ran into was none other than the princess.

"Jester! Oh jester!" she called, walking towards him with that hurried step that seemed to characterize any upstart monarch. "Thank goodness I found you. Nobody else seems to be responding to my calls."

"I doubt anyone would want to respond-," he mumbled to himself, but managed to smile brightly for the royal. "Yes, your highness, how may I be of service?"

"Let's see. I need-," she said, suddenly bringing out a piece of parchment from somewhere within her dress. Kipp tried not to look surprised, though he did give the princess a once-over look, wondering what other items were hidden, just waiting to be whipped out the princess's time of need. "-from you, three new ballads, a sonnet, and an interpretative dance for the wedding banquet. Preferably about never-ending love, romance, or royal festivity."

"Three ballads, a sonnet-," Kipp said, counting off on his fingers.

"And I will need to see all of these by next week," she said, nodding curtly at her list.

"In a week's time?" he exclaimed. "But princess, I know I am quick and witty, but surely you can give me longer to finish-."

"Tut tut tut," the princess said, wagging a finger and looking Kipp in the eye. With a firm voice, she said "I believe in you, jester. Now do as I say; in a week's time."

Kipp stood there looking aghast, as the princess walked away once more. He scratched his head and started to walk away but involuntarily cringed when the princess called out once more.

"You may ask for help from Amelia; I believe she has found some interesting historical material in the library."

-.-.-

"This is useless," Lynn said, arms crossed over her chest, as a flustered Kurt ran back and forth across her small room.

"It wouldn't be so _useless_ if _you_ would start helping _me_ pack _your_ things," Kurt huffed, rummaging through her drawers and quickly sifting through items that he thought a girl might need on a journey to the capital.

"Also, _pointless_," Lynn said, with emphasis on the last word, nearly spitting it out at Kurt's back, who was stuffing a week's worth of her clothes into a large trunk he had dug up from somewhere at the back of her childhood home. She and all her things occupied a single room on the third floor; the rest was used as a library and storage room, while the first floor was a laboratory. "Why do you even bother?"

"The point is-," Kurt said, suddenly wheeling around to face him. He stood half a head shorter than Lynn, and any of his attempts to appear menacing seemed futile to her. "- we set off in less than an hour; the entire faculty is ready, Lynn. Why aren't you?"

"I'm the heir, so it's my Academy anyway," she said, looking down at him. "You can't tell me what to do."

"Well, I'm the _headmaster_, and you're my faculty now, so I can in fact tell you what to do," he said, nose turned right back up at her. "And I am telling you to get your clothes, your bags, and your senses together, within the hour! We're leaving for Kippernium Castle, for goodness' sake! Stop acting like a child and try to be at least a little prepared."

"I don't want to go," she said, looking away. "There's nothing left for me back there."

"You say that, but we both know the truth is otherwise. How do you think will Landen will feel when you don't show up at his wedding?"

"I don't care about Landen's feelings!" she suddenly shouted, her voice a good half-octave higher than what she'd been speaking so far.

"Getting defensive, are we?" he said, packing the last of the items into a small knapsack and handing it to Lynn. He gave a sharp whistle and a couple of workers came in and picked up the trunks. "Come on, just make the effort; for old times' sake. He's still your friend, you know."

"Yeah, some friend," she muttered angrily, grudgingly following Kurt out of the room and towards the caravan of Academy faculty to make their way to the castle.

"Oh, and I found this in your family's old documents. You might want to give it a read, y'know, to pass the time during the trip," Kurt said, suddenly handing her a thin notebook from his own satchel. "Don't worry, I haven't read it myself. You're probably the right person to read it."

Lynn accepted the gift with a muttered thanks. She was suddenly curious and slightly puzzled; what kind of family document was for "her eyes only?" The leather-bound notebook was plain, unlike the elaborately-decorated Eldridge Journal, now an important reference textbook at the Academy library. Turning it over in her hands, she wondered what Kurt found significant about it.

Then she saw the owner's name on the inside cover, and gave a little gasp of surprise. Elena Florris.

"Mother?" she murmured to herself.

-.-.-

"Huh," Kipp said to himself, poring over the documents that Amelia had laid out on a table for him. "Huh, huh," he said again.

"It's all I could find," Amelia said, dusting off another parchment and adding it to the pile. "But I think it'll come in rather handy, what with the princess's demands."

"Quite," was all Kipp could say, picking up one parchment and looking at it more intently. "I never knew documents like this existed."

"Well, obviously, since you're not the Royal bookkeep," Amelia laughed. "I personally never thought these documents would ever be needed. I was rather surprised when the princess came up to me looking for something so specific."

"I should suppose so," Kipp said, nodding. "It's not everyday you're tasked to go through the love letters of Jane d'Ark, the first female knight and dragon rider of the kingdom."

-.-.-

The Captain was preparing to leave, all his belongings and other things for a week's stay at the capital already loaded into a wagon; he had picked an accompanying party randomly from among his soldiers, and assigned his second-in-command to hold down the fort (literally) while he was away.

He looked around once at his tidied office, making sure that nothing - such as an accidental spark in the fireplace, or a collapsing bookstand - would cause trouble while he was away. He picked up a small knapsack of travelling documents and exited into the hallway, where two of his party were waiting.

He had just shut the door and had turned the key when he and two of his men suddenly heard frantic footsteps rushing towards them in the corridor. Their hands automatically shot to their waist to ready their swords, but they relaxed when they saw it was merely a soldier of their own, running, and out of breath.

"Captain Winthrop! Captain Winthrop!" he said, leaning on the walls for support.

"Catch your breath first, soldier," the kindly officer said, patting the man's shoulder. "What is it?"

"There's been- a sighting," he said, slowly regaining his breath. "The dragon, it was spotted this morning!"

"Dragon? But I no longer have the sword," Captain Aldrich said, his memories suddenly flashing back to painful times. "Really? Where? Who spotted it?"

"Just north of here, Sir. One of the sentries, sir, on one of the northern towers."

"And where was it headed?"

"Well, Captain," the soldier said, scratching the back of his head as he straightened up. "That's the thing: it wasn't flying. It was spotted lying in the middle of a snowfield, unmoving, just as the sun rose."

The Captain stiffened up. "And this sentry is sure of what he saw?"

"Positive, Sir," the soldier's expression couldn't have been any more convincing.

"Assemble me a reconnaissance party at once," he said, suddenly thrusting what he was holding into the arms of another soldier. "And call the sentry to me at the stables. We head out to the dragon as soon as possible."

"And Sir, what of the travelling party?"

"Tell them they can come with me now if they wish; the trip to Kippernium is postponed."

-.-.-

((If you're wondering about Jane's last name, I found the info on the page, that she changes her name from Turnkey to d'Ark later on. LOL the things I manage to find online.))


	5. Chapter 5

(Recap: Landen is to be married to Princess Gledae in approximately a month's time. Kipp has been tasked to write a song for the wedding banquet in honor of the princess, and has stumbled upon some interesting documents- love letters concerning Jane d'Ark, the famous dragon rider and lady knight. Lynn and Kurt have just departed from Dellour on their way to the castle.

(The Duke of Southern Kippernium is troubled by his daughter's sudden obsession with a certain Lady Squire and has an ominous letter for the king. And lastly, Captain Winthrop's trip to the castle is suddenly postponed when they discover the wounded dragon, unmoving, in the Northern mountains.)

**In Which Parties Travel**

"Captain Winthrop, Captain!" the scout shouted from somewhere ahead.

Through the heavy snow, the Captain barely made out the silhouette of an approaching young soldier on horseback, waving a hand above his head. He shouted back "What is it? Have you found the dragon?"

"Yes, sir, just in the next snowfield," he panted, guiding his horse into a walk next to the Captain. "It didn't seem to notice us approaching. We have a couple of men trying to get close to it."

A second soldier from the Captain's party trotted up on his other side. "What would you have us do when we get there?"

"I'd have you men stand down. We ascertain its state first," he said, pensively. "I will approach it alone."

"But sir! It's too dangerous! We don't know if it's safe to-," the scout said.

The Captain cut him off by stopping abruptly. The whole party stopped around them. "How long have you been serving me, boy?"

"I just started last summer, Sir," he said, slightly confused.

"Then you have no idea," Captain Winthrop chuckled, urging his horse forward once more.

"Look out!" the scouts ahead suddenly shouted, stumbling towards them in the escalating snowfall. "It's awake!"

They were cut off by a loud roar and large thumpings; a large silhouette came lumbering towards them in the snow. The men screamed and hurried out of the way of the approaching dragon.

"Aldread," it's voice resounded throughout the snowfield as its figure slowly came into full view, stopping right in front of the Captain. His horse reared.

"Dragon," he said, shouting in the impending blizzard. "What brings you this close to the border?"

"I need-," the dragon said in a hoarse, booming voice. "-help. I am ill."

"How has this happened?"

"The wound that Hawthorne inflicted on me," he said, pointing to a fibrous gash on his chest. It was ominously dark, with pus draining out of it. "He might have poisoned me. It gets harder to breathe each day. I could hardly make it thus far in this snow."

"We could shelter you in the fortress, there is a large storeroom that would fit you well, I will-," Captain Winthrop said, patting the dragon's head as he rested it on the snow, tired from his speech.

"Call Lynn," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Call Lynn. The healer. I saw her at the Southern border, when she made the antidote for all the soldiers. She'll know what to do."

"Lynn, of course, of course, old friend. Now come, let us help you out of this horrid weather," he said, signaling his men to assist moving the dragon.

In a few minutes, the whole party was marching in unison back towards the barracks, the dragon in the middle, and two files of soldiers on either side of him.

The scout had fallen to the back of the procession and spoke to one of the older soldiers.

"Why isn't he the least bit fazed by this dragon? What the hell is it doing here anyway? They're supposed to be extinct! The last dragon and dragon-rider disappeared decades ago in the Southern War!"

The old warrior chuckled. "Boy, boy, you are young indeed. Us who've been with the Captain longer know the truth."

"Which would be- what exactly?" the scout probed.

"That right there is the last dragon," he said, pointing. And then pointing to the Captain: "And that is the last dragon rider."

"Captain Aldrich? You can't mean that he was-," the scout said, dumbfounded. "-_that_ dragon rider?"

"Yes, Aldread of the Southern Empire," the old man answered. "That was a long time ago, boy."

The young man started and his horse stumbled a little, but he pulled back up. "But, that can't be-, he's-, he's a well-respected Royal Knight. He couldn't be that murderer-."

"Watch what you say, boy. It was indeed him. But he's a changed man," he retorted. "He watches out for all of us soldiers now. You won't find a closer-knit unit in all of Kippernium. He's a great leader, he is. Give him the benefit of the doubt, and you'll see that he's more than made up for any sins he's committed in the past."

"But doesn't the King know? How could they entrust such an important post to a former enemy?"

"He bargained with the King, offered him something: leverage that the throne couldn't refuse."

"What? His servitude?"

"The next best thing: his only son."

-.-.-

"What's this? Captain Winthrop won't be here until next week? I was expecting him today! I wonder what has happened," the King said, sitting at his desk in his study.

"Well, apparently, he's postponed his trip, for reasons unstated. His second message came in only hours after the first one," the Chamberlain reported.

"I can only assume that it was something of an emergency. And the other guests?"

"Your brother Roderick, Duke of Southern Kippernium has sent in his response, stating that he would arrive within the week. Also, he sent this private letter, for you."

King Frederick accepted the sealed letter and opened it rather hurriedly, and saw that it was composed of two sheets; the second one appearing to be a child's drawing ripped out of a storybook. "Well, I suppose it's better we have the preparations and no guests than have guests but no preparations-," he said, scanning over the writing quickly. His expression suddenly darkened, and he went over the letter once more, then stared long and hard at the drawing.

He cleared his throat and addressed the Chamberlain once more. "And, uh, what of the delegates from Dellour? Is that girl squire with them?"

"Ah, the Healers' Academy party is scheduled to arrive today as well, your highness. I suppose she would be. What is your plan?"

"Send her to me the moment she arrives. Do not let anyone see her, and do not let her talk to any of the castle staff."

"And, uhm, in which guest quarters would you have her billeted, sire?"

"No need for that. Just see to it that she's brought to me immediately. Understood? That is all."

"Yes, your highness," the Chamberlain ducked, exiting the study, troubled.

-.-.-

"Father, father, have you found out what happened to my storybook? Who ripped the page out of it?" Yvonne said, clambering all over the carriage as it was being loaded with their provisions for the trip, and the stay at Kippernium Castle. "You said you'd find out."

"And I will, sweetie, just be patient; we are about to leave," he said, waving her away. He resumed his conversation with the coachman.

Yvonne looked sadly at the picturebook she carried; indeed a page had been ripped out. She wiped tears from her eyes and gave a little sob. "At least I'll get to see Squire Lynn again. She's a knight, she could help me."

At this the Duke froze and turned to her abruptly. "You are _not_ to mention that name, nor see her, nor talk to her again." in a voice that demanded complete obedience.

"But why not?" Yvonne asked innocently. "She's been awfully nice-."

"It is inappropriate, that's why," he said frigidly. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, father," she said, gloomy.

"Good. Now let's go. A wedding awaits."


End file.
